Slice of Velvet and Pear

by David Silver

67 - Secret of my Excess Part Two

Moon shuddered as Spike's enormous footsteps shook the ground. "He's not listening to me..." she said despairingly.

Twilight shook her head. "I'm not sure he's listening to anyone in this state."

The tiny form of Scamp suddenly scrambled up onto Moon's shoulder, squeaking urgently into her ear. Though she couldn't understand his words, the intent was clear - her pet mouse was trying to help.

"You have an idea?" Moon asked, angling her head toward the rodent. Scamp nodded vigorously, gesturing with his paws as he chittered.

"I think he wants to try communicating with Spike," Twilight said. Though the dragon was lost in his greed-induced rage, perhaps he would listen to the squeaks of his dear pet mouse? "I've heard of worse ideas."

"It's worth a try." Moon lifted Scamp with her magic, gently floating him up towards the enormous drake. As Spike roared, spewing flame into the sky, Scamp began pleading with him in squeaky urgings.

At first, there was no response, but then one massive eye turned to focus on the tiny mouse. Spike hesitated, a glimmer of recognition piercing his frenzy.

He grabbed the tiny mouse with a squeak. "Mine." He tossed Scamp into his ever-growing pile of goods.

Twilight sank to her haunches. "Well... That didn't work."

"Why?" Moon whirled on Twilight. "There was some connection, but it failed. Why did it fail?"

"Why.... did it...?" Twilight rubbed her hooves together, approaching the problem from a different mental angle. "Spike only met Scamp recently. Maybe they're not close enough?"

"Close." Moon pointed at herself. "I don't appear to qualify. I'm not an object. I am not possessed. Good. But not helpful." She tapped at her chin with a hoof as she paced nervously. "Scamp was an object. He was owned. That is bad. He shouldn't own Scamp..." She filed a later conversation for objectification with Spike. But it was hardly time for that.

She mumbled the names of ponies, all the ponies she knew that Spike knew. "No, no... No.... No... Maybe?" She inclined her head. "Maybe..." She took off running without telling Twilight who she had thought of.

With Twilight trailing behind her, Moon went to Diamond Tiara's manor. Well, technically, it wasn't her manor. The filly was a filly, owning little. Moon shook away the unhelpful thoughts and clopped on the door urgently.

"Yes?" Randolph opened the door with one brow raised. "Can I help you?" He seemed oblvious to the noises of panic in Ponyville. "Spike isn't here, if you're looking for him."

Twilight pointed at the massive figure of Spike. "He's right there, unfortunatetly. Moon, why are we here exactly?"

"Because." She nodded at Randolph. "We need to speak to Diamond Tiara. Quickly."

Randolph inclined his head slightly. "I see." The odds of that were low. "I'll fetch the madame." He stepped inside, closing the door.

"What do you want?" Diamond Tiara approached from an open window, scampering towards them. "And why is Spike a dozen stories tall?"

"About half that," reasoned Twilight, measuring with sweeps of her vision.

Moon glanced between the door and the open window. "Why are you coming from that direction?"

Diamond shrugged, rising onto two legs to get it done entirely properly. "Randolph didn't want me coming outside during 'an emergency'. Whatever. What's going on?"

"Spike is on a rampage fueled by dragon greed," Twilight explained hurriedly to Diamond Tiara. "We need your help reaching him before he destroys the town."

Diamond's eyes widened as she took in the towering, roaring figure of the dragon. "What do you need me for?" she asked, confusion mixing with alarm. "Shouldn't we get Princess Celestia or something?"

"There's no time - you have a connection with him," Moon said intently. "He won't listen to me, but maybe he'll hear you."

Diamond pawed the ground, conflicted emotions playing across her face. Part of her wanted to flee back inside to safety. But the thought of abandoning Spike made her chest tighten uncomfortably.

"Alright, I'll try," she finally said. She took off in a gallop toward the monstrous dragon, shouting his name. Moon and Twilight followed close behind, hoping against hope this would work.

Spike heard her. He ignored so much else, but he heard Diamond Tiara. He reached for her and snatched her like so many other things. "Mine."

"Woah, hold on. I brought you something." Diamond fished out a crown, Even shinier than the first. "I was going to give it to you, before... But you kinda got big and stuff?"

Spike grinned with far too many teeth. "Mine."

"Well, yes..." She kicked her hindlegs, dangling as they were. "Because I care about you, dummy. Stop messing things up!"

Spike snorted at her, blowing Diamond's mane back. "Why are you arguing with me?"

"Because." Diamond popped herself free to stand on his hand instead of being grabbed in it. "We're boyfriend and girlfriend. That means we tell each other stuff. We care about each other. And..." She waved a hoof up at Spike. "We let each other know when we're messing up. That's what caring's about. No sugarcoating."

"Sugar..." Spike inclined his head slowly, things seeming to tick around. "Ugh." He swatted at some pegasi darting around him. "I'm busy." He slapped one of them away and the others chased after the swatted Wonderbolts.

Diamond brushed his wrist. "You're better than this..."

"Better?"

"Yeah, duh." She rolled her eyes. "I didn't make a dummy my boyfriend, even if he's acting it right now. You're a sweet dragon, so come on back to me. I can't hug you when you're this big."

Far below, Moon glanced to Twilight. "Do you think it's working? He hasn't tossed her in the collection yet."

Spike hesitated, Diamond's words seeming to give him pause. As he looked down at the tiny pony standing resolutely before him, clarity pierced through the fog of greed that had consumed him.

"Diamond?" he rumbled. His voice was still distorted, but there was a glimmer of recognition in it now.

"That's right, I'm here," Diamond said firmly. "I need you to focus, Spike. Come back to me."

Spike grimaced, clutching his head with a pained groan. He sank to one knee as he struggled internally against the dark instincts threatening to overtake him.

"You can do this, don't give up!" Diamond said. She placed a supportive hoof on his vast wrist.

Below, Twilight pumped her hooves excitedly. "I think it's working! She's getting through! What a remarkable little filly."

Moon clapped her hooves with a smile. "Good." She wasn't sure what to say or do... "Um... Good luck?"

It was, perhaps, fortunate that neither Spike nor Diamond could hear her. Spike leaned in towards Diamond, perched there on his hand. "It... hurts. I want... I need... everything. You." He started to move her towards his stash of things.

She ran up along his arm to avoid that. "Stop that! We can't hug if I'm in there."

Spike hesitated. That logic was hard to argue directly. He couldn't share fond hugs if she was on the pile of other things. He couldn't play with her, or do silly filly/dragon things, or hang out with Silver Spoon, or... "No... No." He sighed softly. "I..."

"It's alright to be greedy." She patted at his shoulder, standing on it. "For the right reason, in the right way. If you want a hug right now, you know what you have to do."

Spike grimaced as he fought the primal dragon urges threatening to overtake him. Every instinct screamed at him to add Diamond Tiara to his hoard, but he resisted.

"You're right," he rumbled. "I want...I want to hug you. But not like this."

Slowly, agonizingly, Spike shrank down to his normal size, reverting from the monstrous dragon form his greed had created. Diamond Tiara slid down to meet him as his shoulders lowered to the ground.

On solid footing again, Diamond wrapped Spike in a warm, tight hug. "There's the dragon I care about," she said, relief flooding her voice. Spike hugged her back, the last vestiges of dragon avarice fading away.

Down below, Twilight and Moon cheered, overjoyed to see Spike returned to normal. Ponies began emerging to find the crisis had passed.

The two mares tackled dragon and filly both, creating a big group hug that none had complaint of.

Later, back at the library, Spike sat sheepishly under the stern gazes of Twilight and Moon. "I'm really sorry," he mumbled. "I don't know what came over me."

Their expressions softened. "It's alright," Twilight said gently. "We're just glad to have you back."

"No more uncontrolled gift-seeking," Moon added with a small smile. Spike nodded, properly chastened.

He had learned his lesson about greed. Right then, he wanted nothing more than to stay close to those he cared about most. "I owe you so much."

Diamond ran a hoof through her mane. "That was true before today. It's still true now." She stepped in to smooch the end of his nose. "That's what happens when you get a girlfriend." She touched nose to nose. "Good of you to realize that."

Twilight laughed gently at the two young creatures. "You two have a special connection."

"They're not alone." Moon threw an arm over Twilight. "I would have been lost if I didn't have my Twilight at my side. Thank you for keeping me on track."

"Aw." Twilight leaned against Moon, giggling with bubbling joy and affection.

Diamond stuck her tongue out at the display. "Not sure I could handle having a mom that... swung that way."

Spike rolled his eyes at that. "Technically... You already do."

Diamond blinked dumbly. "Hey! We're not married yet."

"Yet." Spike tapped her on the nose. "You said it, not me."

Diamond burned a cherry red. "Spike!" She chased him around the Library, despite his wild laughter, or perhaps because of it.

Author's Note:

End arc! How'd I do?

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Comments

[TheGJ90]

Diamond Tiara with the love saving roll! She even got a Nat 20!

She doesn't know it yet, but she just took one hoofstep closer to being somepony else, if ya'll catch my meaning.

[Booster Spice]

Yaay, the princess slayed the monstrous dragon.

[howard035]

What a great improvement on an already classic episode.

If you want a hug right now, you know what you have to do."

Clever girl.